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how much exercise to get rid of cellulite?

I'm 21 years old, 121 pounds and 5'6" so I'm right where I should be weightwise, but I do have a LOT of celulite on the bottom part of my body! Seriously, a lot! So, I recently decided I'd like to get off my shorts when I go to the beach and started exercising. I do about 10 minutes of cardio on my home bicicle and then 30 minutes of strenght exercises to work my trouble areas. Of course, I'm also watching what I eat.

What I want to know is, will this be enough? Also, ome days I'm so determined to getting rid of all those ugly bumps on my butt I just keep doing the strenght exercises until I'm burned out, but I've read on health forums that too much exercise can make the muscle grow, pushing the fat against the skin and making the cellulite look even worse! D: Is this true?

So, how much should I exercise per day so I can see some results and, do you have any idea how will it be until I see some results?

I don't think exercise has any affect of cellulite. Cellutlite is a skin disorder not a muscle thing. I had a boss who was about my age and she had liposuction done and quite frankly it made her cellulite just more noticeable even thoug she had her thighs and butt sucked - it just made it worse. even though she was probaly underweight even with the lipo it was just gross.

Yeah there's no way you can really control it. I don't have very much cellulite if any on the backs of my thighs, and I am overweight. I've never really had much. Whereas I see a lot of skinnier girls with cellulite. I think it might relate to how much muscle mass you have but that's just a guess.

I don't think exercise has any affect of cellulite. Cellutlite is a skin disorder not a muscle thing. I had a boss who was about my age and she had liposuction done and quite frankly it made her cellulite just more noticeable even thoug she had her thighs and butt sucked - it just made it worse. even though she was probaly underweight even with the lipo it was just gross.

I lift weights and use lotion and my cellulite isn't too bad

Thats one of those things not to be taken out of context hahaha, sorry i couldnt resist.. im no expert on cellulite, but this might help

There's nothing I can do to control it? D: That's awful! Plus, if that's true, I'll probably never be motivated enough to exercise again, so.. eeep! :x And I've never seen an athlete or anyone serious about sports with cellulite - I thought it was fat under the skin, so if you reduce the fat, you reduce the cellulite?

I think I'm gonna have to believe the divas-blog advice or I'll just be way too demotivated! :(

I disagree - I've SIGNIFICANTLY reduced my cellulite to the point where it's almost gone. Look at what cellulite it - it's based on how our fat accumulates. As I've added weight lifting and lost fat, my cellulite has almost gone away completely.

I think you're doing the right thing - doing weights, adding muscle while losing fat can help reduce cellulite. Keep with it!

I think I'm gonna have to believe the divas-blog advice or I'll just be way too demotivated! :(

From that blog:

But Wait Diva … I don’t want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Relax. Its is when you work out your goal will be to convert your fat into muscle. You will want to do HIGH Reps versus Low Reps. What this means is that you will want to 12-15 reps with lighter weight to build up your muscles.

There are so many things wrong with this quote (and not just bad grammar) that I heartily encourage you to ignore the rest of it. The suggestion that lifting heavy will make you look like Arnold is idiotic, the recommendation for high reps/low weight is incorrect, and the statement that fat can be turned into muscle is pretty much all the proof you need that the author knows nothing of human anatomy.

Unfortunately, cellulite is not fat, and while losing fat and gaining muscle (two different actions that it are very difficult to do simultaneously to a measurable degree) might help reduce the appearance of cellulite, I've also read that aggressive dieting can increase the appearance of cellulite.

I disagree - I've SIGNIFICANTLY reduced my cellulite to the point where it's almost gone.

Thank you! That's encouraging! ^^ For how long have you worked out for achieving that?

And amethystgirl, I always thought cellulite was just the fat that pushed against the skin, so if it's not, what is it? I don't think there's any better way to get rid of something than knowing what we're dealing with! (:

Cellulite (I know wikipedia isn't the best source, but it's usually good for this type of thing).

So it isn't really anything - it's a word for how your skin looks in certain areas... at least, that was my understanding.

I'm doing some more googling and seeing other sites saying that it is fat... but I still don't think that it's as simple as losing fat to get rid of -- even skinny people get it, and I've read many times on CC people complaining that their cellulite became more obvious after they lost weight. Not that that's what always happens, it just isn't as straightforward as some people say it is.

well, that's not the most motivating reading, but thank you!! I'll keep exercising, though. It might not help the cellulite (and it might, hope's still on!) and it'll only be good for my health, right? ^^

I love using the lotion that helps firm and improves the skin appearance. Ive used about 3 different kinds of skin firming lotion (Jergens, Nivea, Olay) within the past 4 years or so.

Jergens Skin Firming has helped me the best. Im working on my fitness, doing leg exercises and intervals on the treadmill. My cellulite has definetly reduced and smoothed out more from the exercise and the lotion makes me feel so much more confident about my thighs! *With the lotion you have to put it on every single day btw. :)

I love using the lotion that helps firm and improves the skin appearance. Ive used about 3 different kinds of skin firming lotion (Jergens, Nivea, Olay) within the past 4 years or so.

Jergens Skin Firming has helped me the best. Im working on my fitness, doing leg exercises and intervals on the treadmill. My cellulite has definetly reduced and smoothed out more from the exercise and the lotion makes me feel so much more confident about my thighs! *With the lotion you have to put it on every single day btw. :)

Thats another good idea i forgot about that, some lotions contain vitamin E which is good for the skin, rubbing lotions or vitamin E itself could help to reduce its appearance as well, and some vitamins wouldnt hurt.

I think that the important thing to emphasize here is that "fit" and "skinny" are very different things. Also, I think once you have cellulite, you are going to be reducing the appearance of it, not eradicating it.

Here's what you need to do.

Go to "Tough Mudder" website and download their training program. It's free, it has some very basic exercises that are going to get you into amazing shape. You don't have to sign up for the event to use the tools. I would list them, but they do it better than me, and then I don't have to type it out. Here's the link: http://toughmudder.com/training-prep

Also, as far as weights go, you want to do weights that target every major muscle group and use as heavy a weight as you can do 3 sets of 6 reps. Then you continue until you can manage 3 sets of eight and you increase your weight. Doing easy repetitions of the same weight will never build muscle, it will only at minimum maintain what you have.

Also, make sure you eat something after working out that has a good balance of carbs and protein to replace about half of your calories burned. If you work out hard enough you will burn glycogen stores that need to be replaced for endurance. Also, if you are not getting enough protein, you won't build any new muscle. I eat one Chobani after each workout. The idea is to burn more calories than you take in in carbs and fat and increase your protein to build muscle, otherwise, if you are mainly eating carbs, your excess calories will be converted to fat, not muscle. Track your carbs, fats and protein. A ratio of 50% carbs, 25% protein, and 25% fat. I would increase your cardio to at least 30 minutes and follow the plan I recommended. If you can't do it with weights yet, just do the exercises and build until you can.

According to what I've been told, cellulite (in part) is the accumulation of toxins in the fatty tissue. Folks who are prone to cellulite should avoid drinking carbonated beverages, coffee, and other products that contain chemicals (unnatural ingredients). Drinking a lot of water helps to flush the system, and being tone in the first place doesn't hurt any. I haven't heard that any amount of weight lifting specifically contributes to cellulite loss - but toning up is always good. Regarding lotions - I've been told that it really doesn't matter what ingredients are in the lotion - the point is to apply every day. The action of rubbing is what helps to release the toxins - talk to any masseuse and they can help you understand this concept. I have basically accepted cellulite as a fact of life, but other members of my family have been very successful ridding themselves of it by eradicating carbonation, eating healthy, exercising regularly and drinking tons of water. Good luck to you!

Cellulite is, as the wiki page pointed out, herniated fat - that is, fat cells that have bunched together and protrude in lumps that show through your skin. I don't know this for a fact, but strongly suspect that the likelihood of your body storing fat in this way has a strong genetic component. Exercising and reducing body-fat WILL reduce the amount of cellulite you have (but it will reduce the amount of fat you have overall, so the proportion that is cellulite might be higher). I know people who swear by creams. I suspect their effectiveness is more about the massaging action on the cellulite helping to de-bunch and de-herniate (I just invented some words) the fat blobs. Those of us cursed, I'd recommend the works - regular exercise and daily massage with a cellulite-reducing cream or oil. It certainly can't hurt!

I can only speak from my personal experience. When I stick with my fitness routine my cellulite is significantly reduced - 30 min cardio 3-4 days a week and strength training, alternating upper and lower body, 3-4 days a week, doing 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps. I have had a lot of cellutite on my butt and thighs, especially after being pregnant. For me, lunges and the elliptical work the best, but it is good to switch it up. I don't think you need to exercise like crazy every day either. Most important is the quality of the reps you are doing. If you are feeling the muscle burning and it is hard to finish the last 3-4 reps then you are doing it right. The more muscle you build the less obvious your cellulite will be. Good luck!

personally, for an inexpensive daily lotion, I use good old lubriderm, and add about 15-20% olive oil. Using higher quality olive oil won't leave you smelling like food (!). My skin ends up feeling really nourished (I live at 6,000 feet) all day long, and the massaging in reminds me to take care of my body, daily. I do it right after my shower.

also, I've started doing my weights first, followed by cardio. I have read that the weight training first (begins to) burns your glycogen off, leaving you to use the cardio to start working on actual fat. It seems to work for me. And, in regards to weights, my body type tends to bulk up pretty quickly, so I do 3 days/week of heavy lifting, alternated with 2 days/week of low weights and high reps (lots of reps, like 60 seconds at a time, a couple of sets).

every serious athlete doesnt have cellulite. Think about those old shaking machines they used in the old days to get rid of cellulite. They used them because the shaking broke down the cellulite cells. Therefore, the more you exercise and "shake" the more chances you have of reducing your cellulite. My mom is UNDERWEIGHT and does absolutely NO EXERCISE. She has terrible cellulite and has attempted the lotions and creams. I, on the otherhand, am almost 16kgs overweight and have minimal cellulite BECAUSE I am literally exercising my butt off. When i started eating healthy and exercising i even had cellulite on the front of my thighs. When i started running, i noticed the biggest difference. It seems to tone every piece of me, and i'm not even running far distances or more than twice a week. So i think if you do the RIGHT EXERCISES and throw in a few jogs here and there your cellulite will go....